Information processing system, position indicator, and method of controlling movement of display object on display screen of information processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An information processing system includes: an information processing apparatus; and a position indicator configured to input position information to the information processing apparatus. The position indicator includes: a first sensor configured to detect a movement amount of a fingertip of a user, a second sensor configured to detect a tilt of the position indicator, and a transmission section configured to transmit data indicative of the movement amount detected by the first sensor and of the tilt detected by the second sensor. The information processing apparatus includes: a reception section configured to receive the data transmitted from the position indicator, and a first processor configured to control a movement of a display object displayed on a display screen on the basis of the tilt and the movement amount indicated by the data received by the reception section.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/799,554, filed Feb. 24, 2020, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-050536, filed Mar. 19, 2019,each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, aposition indicator, and a method of controlling the movement of adisplay object on a display screen of an information processingapparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

For an electronic device configured to permit input through its displayscreen by use of a position indicator such as an electronic pen, thereexists technology for providing a groove-like input section on the rightand bottom sides of the screen to facilitate the scroll of screendisplay (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-206613(hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1)).

However, the above-mentioned technology requires that a special hardwarefeature made of grooves be provided on the electronic device. There hasbeen a need for easily controlling the movement of a display object on adisplay screen by use of a position indicator without requiring theelectronic device to be equipped with the special hardware feature.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide aninformation processing system, a position indicator, and a method ofcontrolling the movement of a display object on a display screen of aninformation processing apparatus using the position indicator, thedisplay object being controlled easily for movement on the displayscreen.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an informationprocessing system including: an information processing apparatus; and aposition indicator configured to input position information to theinformation processing apparatus. The position indicator includes: afirst sensor configured to detect a movement amount of a fingertip of auser, a second sensor configured to detect a tilt of the positionindicator, and a transmission section configured to transmit dataindicative of the movement amount detected by the first sensor and ofthe tilt detected by the second sensor. The information processingapparatus includes: a reception section configured to receive the datatransmitted from the position indicator, and a first processorconfigured to control a movement of a display object displayed on adisplay screen on the basis of the tilt and the movement amountindicated by the data received by the reception section.

Also according to the present disclosure, there is provide a positionindicator for inputting position information to an informationprocessing apparatus. The position indicator includes: a first sensorconfigured to detect a movement amount of a fingertip of a user; asecond sensor configured to detect a tilt of the position indicator; anda transmission section configured to transmit data indicative of themovement amount detected by the first sensor and of the tilt detected bythe second sensor.

Also according to the present disclosure, there is provided a method foruse with an information processing system including an informationprocessing apparatus and a position indicator configured to inputposition information to the information processing apparatus, the methodbeing devised to control a movement of a display object displayed on adisplay screen of the information processing apparatus. The methodincludes: causing the position indicator to detect a movement amount ofa fingertip of a user; causing the position indicator to detect a tiltof the position indicator; causing the position indicator to transmitdata indicative of the detected movement amount and of the detectedtilt; causing the information processing apparatus to receive the datatransmitted from the position indicator; and causing the informationprocessing apparatus to control the movement of the display objectdisplayed on the display screen on the basis of the tilt and themovement amount indicated by the received data.

The present disclosure thus provides an information processing systemand a position indicator for easily controlling the movement of adisplay object on a display screen by use of the position indicator, aswell as a method of controlling the movement of a display object on adisplay screen of an information processing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisdisclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same becomebetter understood by reference to the following detailed description,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view depicting the use state of an information processingsystem according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view depicting the system configuration of an electronic penaccording to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view depicting operation mode transitions of a controlleraccording to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a schematic side view of the electronic pen according to thefirst embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic penaccording to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5A is a view depicting the system configuration of a computeraccording to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a view depicting the system configuration of a computeraccording to a modification of the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a view depicting an example of a window displayed by anapplication program according to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the controller ofthe electronic pen according to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting another process performed by thecontroller of the electronic pen according to the first embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by a centralprocessing unit (CPU) of the computer according to the first embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a view explanatory of a selection made in step S21 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view explanatory of another selection made in step S21 inFIG. 9 ;

FIG. 12 is a view depicting the system configuration of an electronicpen according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of the electronic pen according to thesecond embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a view depicting operation mode transitions of a controlleraccording to the second embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the controllerof the electronic pen according to the second embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the CPU of acomputer according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17A is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the controllerof the electronic pen according to the third embodiment of thedisclosure; and

FIG. 17B is a flowchart depicting another process performed by thecontroller of the electronic pen according to the third embodiment ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are described below in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view depicting the use state of an information processingsystem 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Asillustrated in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 1 includes anelectronic pen 2 and a computer 3.

The electronic pen 2 is a position indicator for inputting positioninformation to the computer 3. The electronic pen 2 is used by a user topoint a position on a touch surface of a touch pad 12. The positionpointed by the electronic pen 2 constitutes input to the computer 3.

The computer 3 is typically an information processing apparatus of thelaptop computer type. Alternatively, the computer 3 may be aninformation processing apparatus of some other type such as a tablet, adesktop personal computer, or a server computer.

As depicted in FIG. 1 , the computer 3 includes a display 10, a keyboard11, and the touch pad 12. The display 10, which is a display apparatushaving a display screen such as a liquid crystal display or an organicelectroluminescence (EL) display, plays the role of visually outputtingcharacters and graphics. The keyboard 11 and the touch pad 12 are inputapparatuses used by the user to perform input to the computer 3.

The touch pad 12 is configured to detect the position where a fingertipor a tip of the electronic pen 2 is located on the touch surface. Thefingertip is detected by the capacitance method, whereas the tip of theelectronic pen 2 is detected by the active capacitive coupling method.In this case, the electronic pen 2 is configured to transmit and receivesignals to and from the touch pad 12 via an electrode (pen tip electrode23, to be explained later, depicted in FIG. 2 ) provided at the tip ofthe pen. Of these signals thus exchanged, the signal transmitted fromthe touch pad 12 to the electronic pen 2 will be referred to as anuplink signal US, and the signal transmitted from the electronic pen 2to the touch pad 12 as a downlink signal DS hereunder. The reachingdistance of the uplink signal US is approximately 10 centimeters (cm)and that of the downlink signal DS is approximately a few cm.

The position of the fingertip or the tip of the electronic pen 2 may bedetected by some other method. For example, the position not only of thefingertip but also of the tip of the electronic pen 2 may be detected bythe capacitance method. The position of the electronic pen 2 may bedetected by the electromagnetic induction method. The touch pad 12 mayadopt, for example, the pressure sensing method for detecting theposition of the fingertip or the tip of the electronic pen 2.Furthermore, some other device such as the display 10 may be configuredto detect the position of the fingertip or the tip of the electronic pen2 in addition to, or in place of, the touch pad 12.

The touch pad 12 also has a function of detecting a click operation.Specifically, the click operation is detected by a pressure sensor, notdepicted, that senses a tap operation on the touch surface (as apressure pad). Alternatively, a push-button switch may be arranged underthe touch surface. When pressed by the user, the touch surface isdisplaced downward to press the push-button switch, allowing the clickoperation to be detected (as a click pad). As another alternative, aseparate click button may be provided near the touch surface. The clickbutton is then pressed to let the click operation be detected.

Besides communicating via the above-mentioned pen tip electrode 23, theelectronic pen 2 and the computer 3 are configured to communicate witheach other by near field communication B such as Bluetooth (registeredtrademark). The reaching distance of the near field communication B isapproximately 10 meters (m), far longer than that of the above-mentioneduplink signal US or downlink signal DS.

FIG. 2 is a view depicting the system configuration of the electronicpen 2. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the electronic pen 2 includes acontroller 20, the pen tip electrode 23, a signal generation circuit 24,a pressure sensor 25, a motion sensor 26, and a communication section27. The controller 20 incorporates a processor 21 and a memory 22.

The controller 20 is a functional section that operates with theprocessor 21 reading and executing preinstalled programs in the memory22. The controller 20 plays the role of controlling the components inthe electronic pen 2. What is controlled includes a process of receivingthe uplink signal US via the pen tip electrode 23, a process ofsupplying the downlink signal DS to the signal generation circuit 24, aprocess of performing the near field communication B with the computer 3by way of the communication section 27, and a process of acquiringphysical quantities detected by the pressure sensor 25 and motion sensor26.

FIG. 3 is a view depicting operation mode transitions of the controller20. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the operation modes of the controller 20include a position input mode and a display object control mode. Theposition input mode is a mode in which the uplink signal US and thedownlink signal DS are transmitted and received to and from the touchpad 12 to let the computer 3 detect the pen position on the touchsurface (a first mode in which the electronic pen 2 inputs positioninformation to the computer 3). In a case where the uplink signal US isreceived from the computer 3 (i.e., where the electronic pen 2 is closeenough to the touch pad 12 to receive the uplink signal US therefrom),the controller 20 enters the position input mode. On the other hand, thedisplay object control mode is a mode in which a display object(specifically a knob 42 c or 43 c in FIG. 6 , to be discussed later) isdisplayed on the display 10 in FIG. 1 is moved by the user operating theelectronic pen 2 (a second mode in which the electronic pen 2 controlsthe computer 3). In a case where the uplink signal US is not receivedfrom the computer 3 (i.e., where the electronic pen 2 is not closeenough to the touch pad 12 to receive the uplink signal US therefrom),the controller 20 enters the display object control mode.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the pen tip electrode 23 is a conductor providedat the tip of the electronic pen 2. The pen tip electrode 23 isconnected with the controller 20 and with the signal generation circuit24. When the pen tip electrode 23 enters a capacitive field generated bya touch sensor 13, to be discussed later, in response to the uplinksignal US, electric charges corresponding to the uplink signal US areinduced in the pen tip electrode 23. The controller 20 receives theuplink signal US by demodulating the electric charges thus induced.Further, when the downlink signal DS is supplied to the pen tipelectrode 23 from the signal generation circuit 24, the pen tipelectrode 23 generates a capacitive field in response to the downlinksignal DS. The computer 3 acquires the downlink signal DS from thiscapacitive field, as will be discussed later in detail.

The signal generation circuit 24 is a circuit that modulates apredetermined carrier signal based on the downlink signal DS suppliedform the controller 20, before sending the modulated carrier signal tothe pen tip electrode 23.

The communication section 27 is a functional section that acts as aninterface for use in the near field communication B. Initially, thecommunication section 27 establishes pairing with the computer 3.Thereafter, the communication section 27 transmits and receives signalsby the near field communication B under control of the controller 20.The communication section 27 plays the role of a transmission sectionthat transmits data indicative of a movement amount of the user'sfingertip detected by the pressure sensor 25 and a tilt detected by themotion sensor 26, as will be discussed later in detail.

The pressure sensor 25 is configured to detect pressure. In the firstembodiment, the pressure sensor 25 plays the role of detecting themovement amount of the user's fingertip on the surface of the electronicpen 2. Alternatively, a capacitive sensor may be used in place of, or incombination with, the pressure sensor 25. The motion sensor 26 isconfigured to detect acceleration, tilt, and direction of an object. Inthis embodiment, the motion sensor 26 plays the role of detecting thetilt of the electronic pen 2. Preferably, the motion sensor 26 may be asix-axis sensor, for example.

FIG. 4A is a schematic side view of the electronic pen 2, and FIG. 4B isa schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic pen 2. As illustratedin these drawings, a pressure sensing type side switch 30 is exposed ona side surface of the electronic pen 2. The pressure sensor 25 isarranged in parallel with an inner surface of the side switch 30. Whenthe user moves his or her fingertip in a depicted direction A whileapplying pressure of at least a predetermined value to the side switch30, the pressure sensor 25 detects the amount of the fingertip movement.The motion sensor 26, which is fixed to a surface of a substrate 31secured inside the electronic pen 2, plays the role of detecting thetilt of the electronic pen 2 as described above.

FIG. 5A is a view depicting the system configuration of the computer 3.As depicted in FIG. 5A, the computer 3 includes a sensor controller 14,a CPU 15, a memory 16, and a communication section 18 in addition to thedisplay 10, the keyboard 11, and the touch pad 12 that are also depictedin FIG. 1 . The touch pad 12 incorporates a touch sensor 13. The memory16 stores an application program 17 (i.e., its object code).

Although not depicted, the touch sensor 13 is configured with multiplelinear electrodes equally spaced and extending in an x direction (calledthe X electrodes hereunder) and multiple linear electrodes equallyspaced and extending in a y direction (called the Y electrodeshereunder), the linear electrodes being superposed one on top of theother. Alternatively, the touch sensor 13 may be configured withmultiple insular electrodes arranged in a matrix pattern. In a casewhere a device other than the touch pad 12, such as the display 10, isto detect the position of the fingertip or the tip of the electronic pen2, the touch sensor 13 is provided on that device, as will be discussedlater with reference to FIG. 5B.

The sensor controller 14 is a functional section that detects a positionon the touch surface pointed by the fingertip or by the tip of theelectronic pen 2 via the touch sensor 13. What follows is a detaileddescription of the operation of the sensor controller 14 in an examplewhere detection of the fingertip by the capacitance method and detectionof the tip of the electronic pen 2 by the active capacitive couplingmethod are achieved on a time-sharing basis.

Where the fingertip is to be detected, the sensor controller 14 supplieseach of the multiple X electrodes in the touch sensor 13 with afingertip detection signal constituted by as many pulses as the numberof the X electrodes, the signal being received by each of the Yelectrodes in the touch sensor 13. The sensor controller 14 isconfigured to calculate a correlation between the signal received byeach Y electrode on one hand and the fingertip detection signal suppliedto each X electrode on the other hand, before deriving the position ofthe fingertip based on the calculated correlation. The amplitude of thefingertip detection signal received by a given Y electrode reflects thecapacitance at an intersection point between that Y electrode and each Xelectrode. The nearer the fingertip, the smaller the capacitance at eachintersection point. This enables the sensor controller 14 to derive thefingertip position from the above process.

Meanwhile, with regard to detecting the tip of the electronic pen 2, thesensor controller 14 is configured to operate either in discovery modeor in communication mode. The discovery mode is a mode that the sensorcontroller 14 enters when the tip of the electronic pen 2 has yet to bedetected. In the discovery mode, the sensor controller 14 causes each ofthe multiple X electrodes or Y electrodes to transmit periodically theuplink signal US to scan the X and Y electrodes sequentially in thetouch sensor 13. The sensor controller 14 then waits for reception ofthe downlink signal DS transmitted from the electronic pen 2 that hasreceived the uplink signal US. Upon receipt of the downlink signal DS,the sensor controller 14 derives the position of the electronic pen 2based on the reception intensity at each X electrode and at each Yelectrode (global scan). The sensor controller 14 detects the tip of theelectronic pen 2 by deriving its position in this manner, beforeentering the communication mode for communication with the detectedelectronic pen 2. In the communication mode, the sensor controller 14scans only those linear electrodes positioned close to the most-recentlyderived position, thereby updating the position of the electronic pen 2(local scan).

The downlink signal DS transmitted by the electronic pen 2 includes aburst signal and a data signal, the burst signal (e.g., an unmodulatedsignal of a single frequency) being used by the sensor controller 14 todetect the position of the tip of the electronic pen 2 in theabove-described manner, the data signal being modulated with variousdata held in the electronic pen 2. Transmission of the data by the datasignal is ordered by the sensor controller 14 transmitting the uplinksignal US including a command. For example, the data includes a writingpressure value indicative of the writing pressure applied to the tip ofthe electronic pen 2; information indicative of an on/off state of theswitch provided on the surface of the electronic pen 2; and a penidentification (ID) for identifying the electronic pen 2. Upon receiptof the data signal, the sensor controller 14 decodes the received datasignal so as to obtain the data transmitted from the electronic pen 2.

While in the communication mode, the sensor controller 14 performs thefollowing tasks intermittently: issuing orders to the electronic pen 2by transmitting the uplink signal US thereto, detecting the position ofthe tip of the electronic pen 2 upon receipt of the downlink signal DS,and receiving data transmitted from the electronic pen 2. When thedownlink signal DS is not received for a predetermined time periodtypically because the electronic pen 2 is away from the touch sensor 13,the sensor controller 14 cancels the communication mode and returns tothe discovery mode.

FIG. 5B is a view depicting the system configuration of the computer 3according to a modification of the first embodiment of the disclosure.The computer 3 of this modification may be configured as illustrated inFIG. 5B. The difference from the configuration in FIG. 5A is that thetouch sensor 13 is provided not in the touch pad but inside the display10. The function of the touch sensor 13 is similar to that in FIG. 5A.Part or all of the electrodes for detecting the fingertip and the tip ofthe electronic pen 2 (e.g., above-mentioned X and Y electrodes) may beshared with the electrodes for driving the pixels in the display 10(e.g., a common electrode for a liquid crystal display, or negativeelectrodes for an organic EL display). In this case, however, thefingertip or the tip of the electronic pen 2 is not detected while thepixels are being driven. The sensor controller 14 needs to detect thefingertip and the tip of the electronic pen 2 while the pixels are notdriven.

Returning to FIG. 5A, the CPU 15 is a functional section that operatesby reading and executing a preinstalled program in the memory 16 (e.g.,application program 17 in the drawing). The CPU 15 plays the role ofcontrolling the components in the computer 3. What is controlledincludes: a process of causing the display 10 to display an image of agraphical user interface that includes a cursor and various windows; aprocess of consecutively obtaining the positions of the fingertip andthe tip of the electronic pen 2 detected by the sensor controller 14 aswell as the data received by the sensor controller 14 from theelectronic pen 2; a process, based on the obtained data, of moving thecursor, generating digital ink, and performing rendering on the display10; a process of accepting input from various input sections such as thekeyboard 11, touch pad 12, and a mouse; a process of performing the nearfield communication B with the electronic pen 2 via the communicationsection 27; and a process of controlling the movement of a displayobject displayed on the display 10 on the basis of the data receivedfrom the electronic pen 2 and indicative of the movement amount and tiltthereof.

The memory 16 is a storage apparatus that includes a main storage unitsuch as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and an auxiliary storageunit such as a hard disk.

The communication section 18 is a functional section that provides aninterface for use in the near field communication B. The communicationsection 18 initially establishes pairing with the electronic pen 2.Thereafter, under control of the CPU 15, the communication section 18transmits and receives signals by the near field communication B. Thecommunication section 18 plays the role of a reception section thatreceives from the electronic pen 2 the above-mentioned data indicativeof the movement amount and tilt, as will be discussed later in detail.

The application program 17 runs on operating system software, notdepicted. The CPU 15 is configured to activate the application program17 in response to operations performed by the user on the touch pad 12,for example. The application program 17 thus activated performs diverseprocesses including a process of displaying windows, to be discussedlater, in accordance with the internal code.

FIG. 6 is a view depicting an example of a window 40 displayed by theapplication program 17. As illustrated, the window 40 includes arectangular display region 41, a vertical scroll bar 42 arranged alongthe right side of the display region 41, and a horizontal scroll bar 43arranged along the lower side of the display region 41. The verticalscroll bar 42 includes an upper arrow 42 a, a lower arrow 42 b, and aknob 42 c. Likewise, the horizontal scroll bar 43 includes a left-sidearrow 43 a, a right-side arrow 43 b, and a knob 43 c.

In a case where the data to be displayed in the display region 41 has anarea larger than that of the display region 41, the sizes and positionsof the knobs in the vertical scroll bar 42 and in the horizontal scrollbar 43 indicate the position of the currently displayed portion of theentire display data. Also, the knobs or the arrows in the scroll barsplay the role of accepting operations to change the currently displayedportion. The vertical scroll bar 42 is used to change the currentlydisplayed portion in the vertical direction. This type of verticalchange will be referred to as “vertical scroll” hereunder. Thehorizontal scroll bar 43 is used to change the currently displayedportion in the horizontal direction. This type of horizontal change willbe referred to as “horizontal scroll” hereunder.

In a case where the vertical scroll or the horizontal scroll is to beexecuted with the keyboard 11, for example, the user can easily make thevertical or horizontal scroll using the cursor keys (not depicted)included in the keyboard 11. In this case, there is no need for the userto directly operate the vertical scroll bar 42 or the horizontal scrollbar 43. The application program 17 carries out the vertical scroll andhorizontal scroll in keeping with the amount of operation on the cursorkeys while updating the display of the knobs 42 c and 43 c at the sametime.

In a case where the vertical or horizontal scroll is to be performedwith a mouse, not depicted, the user moves the cursor onto the positionof a knob or an arrow displayed on the display 10 and clicks on a mousebutton as needed. This allows the user to make the vertical orhorizontal scroll with ease.

By contrast, it is possible, but difficult, to make the vertical orhorizontal scroll by operating the electronic pen 2 on the touch pad 12.In this case, as in the case where the mouse is used, the vertical orhorizontal scroll can be performed by moving the cursor onto theposition of a knob or an arrow appearing on the display 10 and byclicking on the touch pad 12. However, the electronic pen 2 is notsuitable for minute operations such as moving the cursor onto theposition of a knob or an arrow. It is more difficult still to click onthe touch pad 12 while carrying out those minute operations. Thetechnology described in the above-cited Patent Document 1 is aimed atovercoming such difficulty by resorting to the groove-like input sectionprovided on the right side and the lower side of the screen. However,because of the need to provide the special hardware feature constitutedby grooves, this technology may not be applicable to all computers 3.The present disclosure, by contrast, involves having the electronic pen2 and the computer 3 configured in such a manner that the display objectdisplayed on the display 10 is moved by physical quantities detected bythe pressure sensor 25 and by the motion sensor 26 depicted in FIG. 2 .Movement of the display object (specifically, knob 42 c or 43 c) on thedisplay 10 is thus controlled easily using the electronic pen 2 withoutrecourse to the special hardware feature such as the groove-like inputsection described in the above-cited Patent Document 1. This point willbe explained below in detail with reference to the flowcharts ofprocesses performed by the electronic pen 2 and the computer 3.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts of processes performed by the controller 20of the electronic pen 2. FIG. 7 depicts a process of switching betweenthe position input mode and the display object control mode illustratedin FIG. 3 . As depicted in FIG. 7 , the electronic pen 2 first attemptsto receive the uplink signal US (step S1). Until detecting the computer3, the electronic pen 2 repeats this attempt in a cycle sufficientlyshorter than the cycle in which the computer 3 transmits the uplinksignal US. After detecting the computer 3, the electronic pen 2 attemptsto receive the uplink signal US at a timing ordered by the computer 3via the uplink signal US, for example.

Following the attempt to receive the uplink signal US, the electronicpen 2 determines whether or not the uplink signal US is received (stepS2). If the uplink signal US is determined to be received, theelectronic pen 2 enters the position input mode (step S3). Theelectronic pen 2 then transmits the downlink signal DS in accordancewith a transmission schedule indicated by the received uplink signal US(step S4).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the uplink signalUS is not received, the electronic pen 2 enters the display objectcontrol mode (step S5). The electronic pen 2 then terminates the processwithout transmitting the downlink signal DS.

FIG. 8 depicts a process of transmitting the physical quantitiesdetected by the pressure sensor 25 and by the motion sensor 26. Asdepicted in FIG. 8 , the electronic pen 2 initially waits for thepressure sensor 25 to detect an applied pressure (step S10). The wait,in short, means waiting for the user to touch the side switch 30depicted in FIG. 4B, among others. When the pressure sensor 25 detects apressure being applied, the electronic pen 2 determines whether or notpairing is in progress with the computer 3 by the near fieldcommunication B (step S11). After determining that the pairing isunderway, the electronic pen 2 detects its tilt by referencing theoutput of the motion sensor 26 (step S12). The electronic pen 2 alsodetects the amount of fingertip movement (amount of movement indirection A in FIGS. 4A and 4B) by referencing the output of thepressure sensor 25 (step S13). The electronic pen 2 then determineswhether the electronic pen 2 is currently in the position input mode orin the display object control mode (step S14). If the electronic pen 2is determined to be in the display object control mode, the electronicpen 2 transmits the data indicative of the tilt and the movement amountdetected in steps S12 and S13 to the computer 3 by the near fieldcommunication B (step S15).

On the other hand, if the electronic pen 2 determines that the pairingis not in progress in step S11 or that the electronic pen 2 is in theposition input mode in step S14, the electronic pen 2 terminates theprocess without doing any further process. That means the electronic pen2 does not transmit the data indicative of the tilt and the movementamount to the computer 3 in the case where the pairing is notestablished by the near field communication B or where the electronicpen 2 communicates with the computer 3 via the pen tip electrode 23.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the CPU 15 of thecomputer 3. This process is carried out periodically by the CPU 15. Asdepicted in FIG. 9 , the computer 3 first determines whether or notpairing is in progress with the electronic pen 2 by the near fieldcommunication B (step S20). If the computer 3 determines here thatpairing is not underway, the computer 3 terminates the process withoutdoing subsequent processes. The reason for this is that as long as thepairing is not in progress, the data indicative of the tilt and themovement amount will not be transmitted from the electronic pen 2.

On the other hand, when determining that the pairing is in progress instep S20, the computer 3 receives the data indicative of the tilt andthe movement amount from the electronic pen 2 (step S21). The computer 3then selects the display object targeted for control (specifically,either the knob 42 c or the knob 43 c) (step S22).

FIGS. 10 and 11 are views explanatory of the selections made in stepS21. FIG. 10 depicts a case in which the tilt of the electronic pen 2 isnot horizontal, whereas FIG. 11 illustrates a case where the tilt of theelectronic pen 2 is horizontal. Generally, the user viewing the windowis far more likely to make the vertical scroll than the horizontalscroll. Therefore, making the horizontal scroll may preferably belimited to the case where the user holds the electronic pen 2horizontally as depicted in FIG. 11 . The vertical scroll may preferablybe performed in the other cases. In view of this, upon making theselection in step S22, the computer 3 may preferably select the knob 43c for the horizontal scroll if the tilt value of the electronic pen 2(first value) falls within a predetermined angular range relative tohorizontal (e.g., 5 degrees). The computer 3 may preferably select theknob 42 c for the vertical scroll if the tilt value of the electronicpen 2 (second value) is any other value (that does not fall in thepredetermined angular range).

Returning to FIG. 9 , after selecting the direction of scroll in stepS22, the computer 3 moves the selected display object by the movementamount received (step S23). Specifically, the movement involves movingthe knob 42 c or 43 c in the currently active (most-foreground) window(See FIG. 6 ). The scroll by operation of the electronic pen 2 isachieved in this manner. The computer 3 may preferably change the movingdirection of the display object depending on the sign of the receivedmovement amount (i.e., positive or negative). This allows the user tochange the scroll direction by changing the direction in which to movethe fingertip on the side switch 30 depicted in FIG. 2 .

In the information processing system 1 according to the above-describedfirst embodiment of the disclosure, the display object (specifically,knob 42 c or 43 c) appearing on the display 10 is moved by the physicalquantities (the tilt of the electronic pen 2 and the amount of fingertipmovement on the side switch 30) detected by the pressure sensor 25 andby the motion sensor 26. That means the movement of the display objecton the display 10 is controlled easily by the electronic pen 2 withoutrecourse to the special hardware feature such as the groove-like inputsection described in the above-cited Patent Document 1.

An information processing system 1 according to a second embodiment ofthe present disclosure is described below. The information processingsystem 1 of the second embodiment is configured differently from theinformation processing system 1 of the first embodiment in that theposition input mode and the display object control mode are switched notby the presence or absence of the received uplink signal US but by theon/off state of a switch provided on the electronic pen 2. The rest ofthe configuration is similar to that of the information processingsystem 1 according to the first embodiment. The ensuing description willfocus on the difference of the information processing system 1 of thesecond embodiment from that of the first embodiment, with the samereference characters used to designate those components in theinformation processing system 1 of the second embodiment that aresimilar to those in the information processing system 1 of the firstembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a view depicting the system configuration of an electronicpen 2 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic sideview of the electronic pen 2 according to the second embodiment. As willbe understood by comparing FIG. 12 with FIG. 2 and FIG. 13 with FIG. 4A,the electronic pen 2 of the second embodiment differs from theelectronic pen 2 of the first embodiment in that the electronic pen 2 ofthe second embodiment is additionally provided with a switch 32 on theside surface of the electronic pen 2.

The switch 32 is configured to be turned on and off by the user.Specifically, the switch 32 may preferably be configured as apush-button type switch that is turned on when pressed and turned offwhen released. The controller 20 is configured to detect the on/offstate of the switch 32 and to switch between the position input mode andthe display object control mode depending on the result of thedetection.

FIG. 14 is a view depicting operation mode transitions of the controller20 according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 14 , thecontroller 20 of the second embodiment enters the display object controlmode when the switch 32 is turned on and enters the position input modewhen the switch 32 is turned off.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the controller20 of the second embodiment to switch between the position input modeand the display object control mode. As depicted in FIG. 15 , theelectronic pen 2 first detects an operation of the switch 32 (step S30).After detecting the operation, the electronic pen 2 determines whetherthe switch 32 is turned on or off (step S31). If the switch 32 isdetermined to be turned on, the electronic pen 2 enters the displayobject control mode (step S32). On the other hand, if the switch 32 isdetermined to be turned off, the electronic pen 2 enters the positioninput mode (step S33). This allows the user to turn on and off thescroll operation with the electronic pen 2 depending on the on/off stateof the switch 32.

As described above, the information processing system 1 according to thesecond embodiment enables the user to deliberately turn on and off thescroll operation with the electronic pen 2 in accordance with the on/offstate of the switch 32. Thus, in a case where there is not a sufficientdistance between the electronic pen 2 and the computer 3 as in anairplane seat (hence, there is a difficulty of positioning theelectronic pen 2 far enough not to receive the uplink signal US), themovement of the display object on the display 10 is controlled easily bythe electronic pen 2 without recourse to the special hardware featuresuch as the groove-like input section described in the above-citedPatent Document 1.

Described next is an information processing system 1 according to athird embodiment of the present disclosure. The information processingsystem 1 of the third embodiment is configured differently from theinformation processing system 1 of the first embodiment in that thecomputer 3 is configured as depicted in FIG. 5B and that the computer 3orders the controller 20 to switch operation modes. The rest of theconfiguration is similar to that of the information processing system 1according to the first embodiment. The ensuing description will focus onthe difference of the information processing system 1 of the thirdembodiment from that of the first embodiment, with the same referencecharacters used to designate those components in the informationprocessing system 1 of the third embodiment that are similar to those inthe information processing system 1 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the CPU 15 ofthe computer 3 according to the third embodiment. As depicted in FIG. 16, the computer 3 first determines whether or not pairing is in progresswith the electronic pen 2 by the near field communication B (step S40).If it is determined here that the pairing is not underway, the computer3 terminates the process without doing subsequent processes.

On the other hand, upon determining that the pairing is in progress instep S40, the computer 3 monitors the position pointed by the electronicpen 2 and detected by the sensor controller 14 for possible movementinto a predetermined region (e.g., the region where the vertical scrollbar 42 or the horizontal scroll bar 43 is displayed in FIG. 6 ) or outof that region (step S41). In a case where the position pointed by theelectronic pen 2 is moved into the predetermined region, the computer 3transmits to the electronic pen 2 an order to switch to the displayobject control mode using the communication section 18 depicted in FIG.5B (step S42). On the other hand, where the position pointed by theelectronic pen 2 is moved out of the predetermined region, the computer3 transmits to the electronic pen 2 an order to switch to the positioninput mode using the communication section 18 depicted in FIG. 5B (stepS43). After performing the transmission in step S42 or in step S43, thecomputer 3 returns to step S40 and repeats the subsequent steps.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are flowcharts depicting processes performed by thecontroller 20 of the electronic pen 2 according to the third embodiment.FIG. 17A depicts a case in which the computer 3 transmits an order toswitch to the display object control mode. FIG. 17B depicts a case wherethe computer 3 transmits an order to switch to the position input mode.

Referring first to FIG. 17A, the electronic pen 2 receives an order toswitch to the display object control mode (step S50). This causes theelectronic pen 2 to determine whether or not the pressure sensor 25detects a pressure being applied (step S51). This determination step maybe carried out not once but multiple times over a predetermined timeperiod. If it is determined in step S51 that an applied pressure isdetected, the electronic pen 2 enters the display object control mode(step S52). Thereafter, as depicted in FIG. 8 , every time the pressuresensor 25 detects the applied pressure, the electronic pen 2 transmitsto the computer 3 the data indicative of the tilt and the movementamount of the electronic pen 2. The movement of the display object iscontrolled as a result. On the other hand, if it is determined in stepS51 that an applied pressure has yet to be detected, the electronic pen2 enters the position input mode (or the ongoing position input mode iscontinued) (step S53). In this case, the order to switch to the displayobject control mode, which is transmitted from the computer 3, isignored, with position information being continuously input.

Referring next to FIG. 17B, the electronic pen 2 receives an order toswitch to the position input mode (step S60). This causes the electronicpen 2 immediately to enter the position input mode (step S61). Thisenables the user, after moving the tip of the electronic pen 2 out ofthe predetermined region, to input position information immediately byuse of the electronic pen 2.

As explained above, the information processing system 1 according to thethird embodiment causes the electronic pen 2 to enter the display objectcontrol mode when the position pointed by the electronic pen 2 is movedinto a predetermined region and to enter the position input mode whenthe pointed position is moved out of that predetermined region. Althoughthe user needs to move the position pointed by the electronic pen 2 ontothe vertical scroll bar 42 or onto the horizontal scroll bar 43, oncethe pointed position is moved in that manner, there is no need for theuser to directly operate each arrow or each knob depicted in FIG. 6 whenmaking the scroll.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.Embodiments may be varied or modified diversely within the spirit andscope thereof.

For example, the cross section of the electronic pen 2 may be formed inan approximate polygon such as an approximate triangle. The controller20 of the electronic pen 2 or the CPU 15 of the computer 3 may thendetermine which side of the electronic pen 2 faces up based on theresult of detection by the motion sensor 26. This makes it possible toconfigure an information processing system 1 by which the display objectdisplayed on the display screen is controlled in movement only when apredetermined side of the electronic pen 2 faces up.

Described also above in connection with the embodiments were cases inwhich the display object targeted for movement control is the knob 42 cor 43 c. Obviously, what is displayed by the knob 42 c or 43 c may betargeted instead for movement control.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. An informationprocessing system comprising: an information processing apparatus; and aposition indicator configured to input position information via a firsttransmission section to the information processing apparatus, whereinthe position indicator includes a position indicator controllerconfigured to enter a first mode of operation where the firsttransmission section communicates with the information processingapparatus and to enter a second mode of operation where the firsttransmission section does not communicate with the informationprocessing apparatus, the first mode being a mode in which the positionindicator inputs position information via the first transmission sectionto the information processing apparatus, the second mode being a mode inwhich the position indicator controls the information processingapparatus, at least one sensor, and a second transmission sectionconfigured to transmit data detected by the at least one sensor when theposition indicator controller operates in the second mode, and theinformation processing apparatus includes a reception section configuredto receive the data transmitted from the second transmission section ofthe position indicator.
 2. The information processing system accordingto claim 1, wherein the first transmission section comprises anelectrode attached to a tip of the position indicator.
 3. Theinformation processing system according to claim 2, wherein the secondtransmission section transmits the data by near field communication thatdiffers from communication via the electrode.
 4. The informationprocessing system according to claim 1, wherein the informationprocessing apparatus further includes a sensor controller configured todetect, via a touch sensor, a position pointed by the positionindicator, and the position indicator controller enters the second modewhen not receiving an uplink signal transmitted from the sensorcontroller via a capacitive field generated by the touch sensor.
 5. Theinformation processing system according to claim 1, wherein theinformation processing apparatus further includes a sensor controllerconfigured to detect, via a touch sensor, a position pointed by theposition indicator, and the position indicator controller enters thefirst mode when receiving an uplink signal transmitted from the sensorcontroller via a capacitive field generated by the touch sensor.
 6. Theinformation processing system according to claim 1, wherein the positionindictor further includes a switch that may be operated by the user, andthe position indicator controller is further configured to enter eitherthe first mode or the second mode depending on an operating state of theswitch.
 7. The information processing system according to claim 1,wherein the information processing apparatus further includes aprocessor configured to control a movement of a display object displayedon a display screen based on the data received by the reception section.8. The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein whenthe position pointed by the position indicator is moved into apredetermined region provided in the display screen, the processortransmits to the position indicator an order to switch to the secondmode, and the position indicator controller is further configured to,upon receipt of the order to switch to the second mode, enter the secondmode.
 9. The information processing system according to claim 8, whereinwhen the position pointed by the position indicator is moved out of thepredetermined region, the processor transmits to the position indicatoran order to switch to the first mode, and the position indicatorcontroller is further configured to, upon receipt of the order to switchto the first mode, enter the first mode.
 10. The information processingsystem according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes afirst sensor and a second sensor, and wherein the first sensor isconfigured to detect a movement amount of a fingertip of a user, andwherein the second sensor is configured to detect a tilt of the positionindicator.
 11. The information processing system according to claim 10,wherein the information processing apparatus further includes aprocessor configured to control a movement of a display object displayedon a display screen based on the data received by the reception section,and the movement of the display object controlled by the processorinvolves the processor selecting the display object based on the tiltindicated by the data received by the reception section, before movingthe selected display object by the movement amount indicated by the datareceived by the reception section.
 12. The information processing systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the processor changes a direction of themovement of the display object in accordance with a sign of the movementamount.
 13. The information processing system according to claim 10,wherein the information processing apparatus further includes aprocessor configured to control a movement of a display object displayedon a display screen based on the data received by the reception section,and when the tilt indicated by the data received by the receptionsection takes a first value, the processor moves a first scroll bardisplayed on the display screen by the movement amount indicated by thedata received by the reception section, and when the tilt indicated bythe data received by the reception section takes a second value, theprocessor moves a second scroll bar different from the first scroll barby the movement amount indicated by the data received by the receptionsection.
 14. The information processing system according to claim 13,wherein the first scroll bar is a horizontal scroll bar, the secondscroll bar is a vertical scroll bar, the first value falls in apredetermined angular range relative to horizontal, and the second valueis outside the predetermined angular range relative to the horizontal.15. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein theprocessor executes an application program stored in a memory so as todisplay on the display screen a graphical user interface that includesthe first scroll bar and the second scroll bar.
 16. A position indicatorcomprising: a first transmission section configured to transmit positioninformation to an information processing apparatus, a position indicatorcontroller configured to enter a first mode of operation where the firsttransmission section communicates with the information processingapparatus and to enter a second mode of operation where the firsttransmission section does not communicate with the informationprocessing apparatus, the first mode being a mode in which the positionindicator inputs position information via the first transmission sectionto the information processing apparatus, the second mode being a mode inwhich the position indicator controls the information processingapparatus, at least one sensor; and a second transmission sectionconfigured to transmit data detected by the at least one sensor when theposition indicator controller operates in the second mode.
 17. Theposition indicator according to claim 16, wherein the first transmissionsection comprises an electrode attached to a tip of the positionindicator.
 18. The position indicator according to claim 17, wherein thesecond transmission section transmits the data by near fieldcommunication that differs from communication via the electrode.
 19. Theposition indicator according to claim 16, wherein the position indicatorcontroller enters the second mode when not receiving an uplink signaltransmitted from the information processing apparatus via a capacitivefield.
 20. The position indicator according to claim 16, wherein theposition indicator controller enters the first mode when receiving anuplink signal transmitted from the information processing apparatus viaa capacitive field.
 21. The position indicator according to claim 16,further comprising; a switch configured to be operated by a user, andwherein the position indicator controller is configured to enter eitherthe first mode or the second mode depending on an operating state of theswitch.
 22. The position indicator according to claim 16, wherein theinformation processing apparatus includes a processor configured tocontrol a movement of a display object displayed on a display screen,and when the position pointed by the position indicator is moved into apredetermined region provided in the display screen, the processortransmits to the position indicator an order to switch to the secondmode, and the position indicator controller is further configured to,upon receipt of the order to switch to the second mode, enter the secondmode.
 23. The position indicator according to claim 22, wherein when theposition pointed by the position indicator is moved out of thepredetermined region, the processor transmits to the position indicatoran order to switch to the first mode, and the position indicatorcontroller is further configured to, upon receipt of the order to switchto the first mode, enter the first mode.
 24. A method for use with aninformation processing system including an information processingapparatus and a position indicator configured to input positioninformation to the information processing apparatus, the methodcomprising: causing the position indicator to transmit positioninformation to the information processing apparatus; causing theposition indicator to enter a first mode of operation where atransmission section communicates with the information processingapparatus and to enter a second mode of operation where the transmissionsection does not communicate with the information processing apparatus,the first mode being a mode in which the position indicator inputsposition information via the transmission section to the informationprocessing apparatus, the second mode being a mode in which the positionindicator controls the information processing apparatus; causing theposition indicator to transmit data detected by at least one sensor ofthe position indicator when the position indicator operates in thesecond mode.
 25. The method according to claim 24, wherein thetransmission section comprises an electrode attached to a tip of theposition indicator.
 26. The method according to claim 25, furthercomprising causing a second transmission section of the positionindicator to transmit the data by near field communication that differsfrom communication via the electrode.
 27. The method according to claim24, further comprising causing the position indicator to enter thesecond mode when not receiving an uplink signal transmitted from theinformation processing apparatus via a capacitive field.
 28. The methodaccording to claim 24, further comprising causing the position indicatorto enter the first mode when receiving an uplink signal transmitted fromthe information processing apparatus via a capacitive field.
 29. Themethod according to claim 24, further comprising causing the positionindicator to enter either the first mode or the second mode depending onan operating state of a switch.
 30. The method according to claim 24,further comprising when a position pointed by the position indicator ismoved into a predetermined region provided in a display screen, causingthe information processing apparatus to transmit to the positionindicator an order to switch to the second mode, and causing theposition indicator to, upon receipt of the order to switch to the secondmode, enter the second mode.
 31. The method according to claim 30,further comprising when the position pointed by the position indicatoris moved out of the predetermined region, causing the informationprocessing apparatus to transmit to the position indicator an order toswitch to the first mode, and causing the position indicator to, uponreceipt of the order to switch to the first mode, enter the first mode.